VESTAL, N.Y. - The America East announced on Friday that it will postpone fall sport athletics competition and championships for the duration of the first semester. The conference Board of Presidents made the unanimous decision, citing the health and safety of its member institutions' communities, the importance of successful institutional campus reopenings and the overall well-being of its student-athletes.
"This was not an easy conclusion for our membership to reach but it was made with care and diligence and with health and safety as the highest priority," America East Commissioner Amy Huchthausen said. "For the last several months, we have been working extensively with our membership to prepare for the fall sports season. We have remained optimistic that we could safely conduct a fall sports season, however, there are several external factors outside of our institutions' control that will limit and disrupt our ability to deliver our student-athletes an experience they deserve. While several outstanding issues and questions remain, we are hopeful that creative thinking and solutions will emerge in concert with improved measures to reduce the risk associated with COVID-19 as the academic year unfolds."
The five affected fall sports at Binghamton are men's and women's soccer, volleyball and men's and women's cross country - each of whom has its championship season in the fall semester. The conference's current plan is to begin winter sports on time as scheduled.
"It's unfortunate to have to delay our varsity sports game schedules for the fall semester, as our student-athletes thrive on competition," said Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger. "However, our students' safety comes first, and we made this decision with that at the front of our mind. Our student-athletes are tough, determined and when it's safe to play again, I know they'll be ready."
"We are disappointed for our student-athletes and coaches, but amidst this global health crisis, we fully support the conference decision to postpone fall sports competition," Director of Athletics Patrick Elliott added. "We look forward to seeing our student-athletes return to campus this fall for training and then see them compete safely in the sports they love at a later time during the 2020-21 school year."
With this announcement, the conference will develop plans for a competitive structure in the second semester and will identify a working group to begin studying this immediately. Athletics activities and student-athlete services for fall sports including but not limited to training, practice, strength and conditioning, athletic training and academic support will be permitted at each institution's discretion in adherence with NCAA rules and local and state health and safety guidelines.
The America East also will continue to monitor the landscape and conditions surrounding the pandemic, locally, regionally and nationally, and make any decisions or announcements at a later date regarding its winter sports, as necessary.
